Tuyen's Blog

Posts for Tag: new york knicks

Jeremy Lin goes to Houston... Good luck...

You should never feel sorry for a man who just got a $25M. But something tells me that Jeremy Lin will never live up to that contract in Houston. Not that he's a bad player but in my opinion, he was in the right place at the right time in New York. Houston seems like the wrong place at the wrong time.

Some would argue that even if he stayed in New York without D'Antoni, he would not have the same level of success, which I agree. However, he has so much good will built up with that team that the Knicks would feel somewhat compelled to see him succeed. And let's not disregard the fact that he's playing with All-Stars in NY versus scrubs in Houston. If Jeremy Lin is the best player on your team, you are not going to succeed. Something tells me the Rockets will be actively shopping him before that $14M final year comes into effect...

Don't do it Jeremy!

Jeremy Lin has verbally agreed to sign a four-year offer sheet with the Houston Rockets on July 11, according to a source close to the talks.
via espn.go.com

Not that I have any love for the Knicks but signing in Houston for a few million more would not be a good move on Lin's part. First off, he'd be leaving all the good will he built up in the New York area and the huge marketing potential that offers him. Second, he's going to a team that is frankly going to not be good for the next couple of years as they've traded away much of their assets in an effort to get younger/better through the draft. Thirdly, what makes Lin think that a few good games in NY would change how the Rockets view him seeing as how they cut him last year? Unless there's been a big change in the playbook, Kevin McHale didn't see much value in Lin last year so why would he start changing this coaching style to match Lin now?

It's not to say that New York couldn't match Houston's offer but given the backloaded nature of the offer, I have a hard time seeing the Knicks doing that and taking on the luxury tax costs in year three and four of that deal. Plus with their signing of Jason Kidd, they somewhat have the PG position covered somewhat. Still, the idea was for Kidd to mentor Lin into becoming an upper echelon PG. Now who will do that for him in Houston? Kyle Lowry? Oh wait, he just got traded to Toronto......

Don't read too much into Jeremy Lin's performance against the Heat

Just as people shouldn't consider him the second coming of Nash, they also shouldn't call him a flop because of tonight's game versus the Heat.  It is the Heat we're talking about, at their home.  Plus, no other Knicks player fared that much better.  Baron Davis, Lin's backup, went 0-7 for goodness sake.  I almost think this is a good thing he got thumped.  It exposed some big holes in his game that were glossed over when the team was winning (he can't go left, still needs to cut down the turnovers, etc).  I have no doubt Jeremy Lin will learn from this experience and make himself a better player.  He's just too smart and dedicated to do otherwise.

Should the Warriors regret cutting Lin? Never.

(The Lakers) never had (Lin) under contract and aren't in the regretful state of mind of Golden State or Houston, but they discussed signing him two months ago when he was a free agent.
via latimes.com

This story is ridiculous. Houston's GM may have officially regretted letting Lin go but the Warriors had no reason to keep him or feel regret about letting him go.  And they don't.  The fact of the matter is that Lin was playing behind two better guards - Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. Don't for a second think that Lin's current hot streak means he is a better player than either of these two. He's done it for 4 games. Let him try doing it for a season or two before we crown him the next great guard.

And I'm not hating on Lin. I think his underdog story is great and I root for him because of his Bay Area ties. But never for a second think he would have displaced Monta or Stephen in the starting line up this season. And think about it this way. Lin should be thanking the Warriors and Rockets for cutting him. He fell into an ideal situation by playing for the guard depleted Knicks in a D'Antoni scheme that allows guards to flourish. And mark the words of Kobe - "Enjoy it. They'll receive judgement next season." When teams start focusing on Lin, will he still continue to put up these numbers? That's the true test of any great NBA player. Can they still perform when defenses are designed to stop them? Now that Lin's profile is so high, you can bet his future opponents will game plan for him. Here's hoping he can learn and improve.

Jeremy Lin - NBA starter?

That's the line score for Jeremy Lin from tonight's Jazz-Knicks game.  The ex-Warriors point guard is having a great two game stretch for the Knicks and it's great to see him flourishing.  But before we crown him an elite point guard (or even a good one), let's give him a few more games.  Here's hoping the last couple of games is the start of something and not just a fluke.